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Point Breeze, the Estate of Joseph Napoleon Bonaparte at Bordentown, New Jersey

Charles B. Lawrence

1818

oil

canvas

From the collection of Art Institute of Chicago

American Folk Art Romanticism Early 19th Century Landscape

Dominant colour

About this work

The painting shows a serene landscape with a homestead on a hill, surrounded by a lake, stone bridge, and curving paths. This scene is interesting because it's the country estate of Joseph Napoleon Bonaparte, who fled to America after his brother's fall from power. The artist, Charles B. Lawrence, was born near this location, which might explain the attention to detail in the painting. You can learn more about the use of light and shadow in this painting by looking into the technique of chiaroscuro.

The story of this work

Overview

Although based in Philadelphia, landscape and portrait painter Charles Lawrence was born near Bordentown, New Jersey, the site of the idyllic scene pictured here. Point Breeze was the name of the country estate owned by Joseph Napoleon Bonaparte (the older brother of the French emperor Napoleon I), who fled to America after his brother’s fall from power. Under a warm, golden light, Napoleon’s homestead presides atop a hill, with a stone bridge, lake, curving paths, gently sloping hills, and bucolic vegetation creating a picturesque vista. The artist’s tight, detailed style, infused with green…

Exhibition history

Baltimore Museum of Art, Classical Taste in America, 1800–1840 , June 27–Sept. 26, 1993, cat. 43; Charlotte, NC, Mint Museum of Art, Nov. 20, 1993–Mar. 13, 1994, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, May 1–July 24, 1994.